


Here We Come A-Caroling

by MickyRC



Series: Star of Wonder Ineffable Advent [8]
Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Advent Calendar, Christmas, Christmas Caroling, Crowley Loves Kids (Good Omens), Gen, Heaven kinda sucks, Holidays, Inspired by Music, Victorian, who am i kidding Heaven absolutely sucks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-08
Updated: 2019-12-08
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:07:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21722725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MickyRC/pseuds/MickyRC
Summary: This time of year, there are always groups of carolers going around looking for a little Christmas charity.  If a few more than is usual end up at a new bookshop in Soho, well, who would notice?
Relationships: Aziraphale & Crowley (Good Omens)
Series: Star of Wonder Ineffable Advent [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1559308
Comments: 9
Kudos: 61





	Here We Come A-Caroling

**Author's Note:**

> Day 8 of my Star of Wonder advent calendar, in which each day's fic is inspired by a song from my favorite Christmas album, The Roches' _We Three Kings._ It's also going up on tumblr [over here!](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/micky-r-c)

_“Here we come a-caroling among the leaves so green,”_

Aziraphale felt a smile light his face, and he set down his book. He folded his lap blanket as he stood, and snapped the gas lights a bit brighter as he walked to the door.

_“Here we come a-wand’ring, so fair to be seen,”_

He grabbed his jacket off its hook by the door. There were certain expectations for dress in this century, and even if they were a bit stiff sometimes, he did rather like all the layers. They made him feel cozy, even in the cold that blew into the bookshop when he opened the door.

_“Love and joy come to you,  
And to you glad Christmas, too,  
And God bless you and send you a happy New Year,  
And God send you a happy New Year.”_

“Oh, bravo! Bravo,” he said as the carolers, all of them children, finished their refrain. “Come in! Here, dear, come inside, warm up a minute. It’s much too cold to be standing out there all night.”

The kids filed inside, most making a beeline for the fireplace, which had been getting low but suddenly found itself roaring back to life. A few stood cautiously by the door, and Aziraphale put on his gentlest smile and gestured towards a table against the wall. “There’s hot soup and bread over there,” he said reassuringly. He spotted an older girl among the group and singled her out. “Do you think you could make sure everyone gets some?” That made her straighten up, and a determined, rather happy glint came to her eyes. Aziraphale’s heart ached to think this was probably the first time any adult had trusted her with anything. The way the children immediately rushed to line up for the food didn’t help.

He turned back to close the door with a sigh, but found that not all of the carolers had come in. “You can come in too, dear,” he called to the figure standing in the shadows outside the shop. “There’s plenty for everyone.”

“’M alright,” came the answer, and Aziraphale huffed. He’d know that voice anywhere.

“Really, Crowley, don’t be like that. I could use some help managing the coats, anyway.”

Reluctantly, Crowley came up the steps and into the shop. In the light, Aziraphale could see his eyebrow raise. “Wow. You’ve got a whole operation here, haven’t you?”

“What were you expecting? You’re the one who brought them here.”

“Nah, I mean, we were just sort of going around…” He must have seen the look on Aziraphale’s face, because he suddenly coughed and looked away. “Anyway.”

Aziraphale rolled his eyes fondly. “It’s alright, dear boy. I’m glad you brought them. Now, I’ve got a stack of second-hand coats upstairs, I’ll just go grab them and then you can help me with sizes.” He hurried upstairs, and never did it cross his mind that leaving a demon unsupervised in his shop with a bunch of street urchins might be seen as a questionable decision.

When he came back down, arms overflowing with fabric, the children all seemed much more comfortable. Crowley was encouraging a few of them to sit, and not to scarf down their food too fast, it wasn’t going anywhere, and there would be enough for everybody to get seconds if they wanted more. Aziraphale unloaded the coats over a nearby chair and started sorting out the big ones from the small.

“You were serious.” Crowley had appeared at his side. “Thought you’d just miracle a bunch of ‘em.”

“That would be easier, yes,” Aziraphale agreed. “But I’m still supposed to be limiting my miracles, and since this is something I can do without… well, this way I’m saving them for things that really need angelic power.”

“Oh, really? Like, what, getting yourself out of a French prison?”

“Oh hush. That was _years_ ago, are you ever going to let that go?”

Crowley chuckled. “Hey, Anne!” he called, and the girl helping with the soup looked up. “I think we can squeeze out enough to give everybody an extra piece of bread, yeah?”

Anne looked skeptical. “Y’sure, mister Crowley? What if somebody else comes later?”

“There’s plenty for anyone who comes by tonight,” Aziraphale jumped in. “Don’t worry, dear, I’ll make sure of it.”

She still looked unconvinced, but she nodded and began handing out two slices to each kid in the line.

Aziraphale sighed, looking at all the grubby, cold reddened hands and wind-chapped cheeks. There were so many of them. He did what he could, both with and without miracles, but it often felt like his efforts were drowned out by the sheer magnitude of human suffering, in London alone.

But then Crowley put a pretty purple coat around Anne’s shoulders to check the fit, and the look on the little girl’s face was enough to pull him out of his gloom. She was so excited, at what many people would consider such a small thing. One warm wool coat, with deep pockets and buttons that wouldn’t fall off at the slightest pull, but it would make Anne’s winter so much better than it would have been. He watched how she ran careful fingers over the bit of embroidery on the lapel, a little brown female cardinal with an orange beak, looking right back up at her awed face. He couldn’t help everyone, not with the way Heaven worked, but he could help this group of kids, and the group Crowley would bring tomorrow, and the night after that. It was just the beginning of the Christmas season, anyway. There were a lot of carolers ahead of them yet.


End file.
